CDs/LPs - DEMOS - OLD STUFFS - FANZINES - GIGS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

OLD STUFFS:

ABHORRENCE (BRE) Ascension Démo’97.
Les groupes brésiliens semblent ne pas tenir compte de toutes le modes établies dans notre pays et préfèrent perpétuer le culte et la pratique du pure death métal, ABHORRENCE est un de ceux là. Leur brutal death grind devrait plaire à ceux qui apprécient les riffs mélodiques mais brutaux dans le style de KRABATHOR « Lies », les passages grind hyper rapides à la KRISIUN, les deux premiers albums de DEICIDE, les vocaux à la DISTASTE (pour ceux qui ont connu ce groupe français à présent culte!) et le tout avec une légère touche de SUFFOCATION pour certains riffs rapides ( mais sans l’aspect technique). Une autre démo prometteuse qui peut plaire aux fans de death! KLEBER VARNIER, PENITA N° 2800 APTO. 52, 15015-820 B. REDENTORA, S. J. RIO PRETO- SP- BRASIL.

ARCKAN OBSCURA (Fra) The reign of the black eternal night Demo'96.
I remember, when I started to be more involved in the Underground, A.O were one of the only Death metal band in my town! At this epoch Black metal (the one with many keyboards and ass-licking vocals, not the raw and Brutal one!) was more than prevailing on the scene! This band wasn't that good when you listen back to their stuffs some years after, they just had my sympathy for playing D.M in this Death metal desert of a scene. Their style was somekind of Death Grind with fewer melodic guitars and doomy touches. But they weren't that tight! (Problems in the blasts, etc). Their most Death metallish parts could remind of DEICIDE, LUCIFERION and a bit of old CANNIBAL CORPSE, while the softer ones where somewhere around old PARADISE LOST ("Gothic"). The grunts were quite cool for this time.
On their second Demo they totally wimped their arses for a totally flat copy of Cradle of shit! (Ha! This band ever plagued the scene with their crap at this time!) Flat Black metal with too much synths and a total lack of aggression and extremity! One more band that could have become cool and who chose the path of commercial metal that lead them to nothing!

AMID PAIN (USA) Demo’97
I was intrigued by their flyer saying they played « Raw abrupt death metal » and their name was a little original so I sent them the 3 bucks needed to get their demo and here it is! Do not expect something really original, it’s just pure Death metal but it’s well made and well thought. They’ve got some heavy parts in the vein of ENTOMBED ‘s Clandestine/ Wolverine blues, they’re more based on the efficiency than on the pure brutality and it’s a good convinving point, some heavy doomy parts could be compared to AUTOPSY.
And the sound is just heavy and raw enough to be enjoyable. AMID PAIN has released a tape full of promises?

ANWYL (USA) Demo’98
Some will say ANWYL is just another black metal band without originality and unfortunately they’re true! For sure it’s true basic black metal, brutal as fuck, but it’s also boring as fuck because the music is very cliché and I can’t find anything new or memorable here. The sound is very low and there are only two songs, 2 intros and one outro. Is it worth the money? Personally I think it isn’t but some black metal maniacs will (unfortunately) rush on this one ( what have they got inside their head???). P.O BOX 192, HUTCHINSON KS. 67504, USA.

APOCALYPTIC (SPA) Promotape 98
Here's a now band we should support! The first recording of these newcomers in the Death metal scene let us wonder their future will be rather positive. Their compositions are correctly articulated, the riffs are quite inspired and each musician shows some enthusiasm about playing this style. The two first tracks are the best ones on this tape.
About the influences, I could quote CANNIBAL CORPSE, DEICIDE and SINISTER. Promising.

ATAVISM (GRE) Corpses cataclysm promo'98.
Very bad Death metal of a band that's only learning how to play.
It sounds childish and totally stolen on very very old MORTICIAN!
And it's far from being "killer" as they say! Months and months and months of hard work are needed to reach at least a correct technical level...
http://www.atavism.cjb.net

BANGKAI (Ind) For W.H.A.T  Demo’97 CENTRA MUSIC.
This Indonesian band doesn't suck as much as the other demos I inherited from an old friend's distro, but it's not rejoicing. BANGKAI played somekind of Death/ Thrash metal mostly based on tremolos, but it sounds old as it reminds me in parts some demos recorded in France/ Europe in 88/89. Death/ Thrash metal à la old AGRESSORE/ MUTILATED with some Grindcore à la very old BRUTAL TRUTH or DEPRAVED (Fra).
It doesn't suck as much as the other Indonesian demos since they seem to own some little choruses, and it's a little bit more intense... but it remains very average. Nothing worth another listening for a European Brutalizing bastard. Are there some really punishing bands in these countries? Help! The very best I heard was only Ok at the best...

BELZEBUL (Fra) Demo'99. FORGOTTEN WISDOM Prod.
Metallers are brainless pieces of shit! No self-opinion, no convictions, no feeling... pure crap beings! And Luc Mertz (Z.B.T, WURZBURG, WOLOK and many others) uses this shit-filled opportunity to feed them with its tasteless white excrements! As simple as that, few years ago the thought guy of Z.B.T meticulously shitted in Tupperware boxes, enclosed it in the fridge, and later refreshed his excrements to sell it as cult old school black metal! Uhg. The price is golden for sure, but so isn't the music, that's clear! Ah! Pure fucking shit old black noise crap that shows what real crap is!! Unbelievably rotten, fucking boring, lamely played and absolutely not produced! Any metaller with a zest of consciousness and a minimum awakeness would vomit in pain and suffer his faeces while hearing this retard noise! This shit deserves to be perversely burnt in public place and disavowed by the whole underground! And all the more this isn't the only band of this kind in the underground, and Mr Luc Mertz is doing that black noise crap since years! Stop the fucking pollution!! Avoid at all costs, or be a part of the so-called "cult circle of the white excrements" worshippers!
CUMTACT: Suck my dick!!

BRUTE CHANT (Latvia)/ GOLD PRICK (Belarus) Split tape 99.
BRUTE CHANT plays a style that could be defined as the heavier and "newer" fresh sounding elements of NAPALM DEATH's last 3-4 albums. They include a good amount of discordant sounding/ depressive induced riffs as well as mechanical riffings Napalm Death or HELMET uses.
Their vocals also reminded me some Napalm's quite depressive moments on choruses. Reminds me a bit of the swiss band 7th TONE also.
But don't misunderstand me, there are no Blast parts nor Brutal riffingss here as it's rather mid placed and influenced by Hardcore/ Powersludge in a "lighter" way. A bit of old GODFLESH - old PITCH SHIFTER may be found also.
This style is a bit original (at least in the extreme metal scene) but they doesn't impress me nor sound efficient. Even if a few riffs are not bad, the whole remains rather flat in my ears, and it may sound too much NAPALM DEATH like. Some depressive head may find a cool band to support, but that's all.

GOLDPRICK's stuff begins with a long, cliché and boring intro. Shitty wanna sound funny project with minimalist riffs, 0,05 $ Grind noise moments, 100% cliché heavy rock guitars and movie samples everybody has used before. Their cover looks stupid. It sounds fucking 10 kilometers under the average demos and it doesn't deserve to be released on a pro tape. Avoid this "band"!

CATASEXUAL URGE MOTIVATION (Jap) Death to pigs... Demo tape 97.
Cryptic aggression of running sickness and rotten energy jumping on its victim as a thousand hungry and thorned carnivorous maggots jumping under the skin of its tasteful horny victim! Sexually shredded from the inside! Infernal sodomy from the inside! Super perverse group sex mutilation! Gore!
This demo was fucking impressive and innovative cyber goregrind the only way that could thrill your perversely castrated bag of petrified putrification! All is so fucking putrid! Primal gore death grind with cold drum machines, sick as fuck fast riffs, gore spoken vocals that tend to splashing gore, depressed dementia that could tend to some early GODFLESH... Bizarre interludes that come from nowhere and lead you in the emptiness of sexual murder! This music deserves a big smoke to be listened! CATASEXUAL URGE MOTIVATION sounds like perverse demented techno hymns to hypnotize all these perfect bodies bitches and fuck them until death during a lame disco party! Ah Ah! The flesh will finally speak and feel the brutal burning it intensively deserves! Cybernetic assfuck paradise! As everybody knows, this band was very much into the 'serial killer' side of gore, it's emotionally concrete and it can be felt during some sick riffs and vicious vocals! Even the guitar production sounds quite corrosive, cynical and pervert!
Most of the Cybergoregrind sucks in my opinion, but C.U.M achieved to do something really bizarre that goes far beyond and crosses the limits of many bored teenagers’ computers! C.U.M brutally sodomizes all these wanking children who record shitty noisegore during their lost hours and shows them the real deal: Brutal motherfuck!!
This isn't the most impressive C.U.M release, but it's definitely sick, bizarre, personal and brutal! So give them a try if you never heard this band!

CRYPT (AUSTRALIA) Excruciating agony Demo’99.
The guttural vocals makes me think a bit Brutal death metallers DISGUST (FRA). Some riffs makes me think about old DEATH (« Leprozy ») but a lot of the stuff is american brutal death influenced: old CANNIBAL CORPSE (« Butchered at birth »), a bit of FLESHGRIND and some american bands such as SPLATTERED CADAVER. This is some quite obscure Death grind with a Brutal death line that isn't so far from the American style. It sounds Quite dark.
They tried to work out their songs in a catchy way and they’ve got a cool heavy and obscure sound, even if not much killer stuffs emerged from there. This is a small demo with only 3 tracks but their next stuffs can be interesting.

CRYSTALIUM (FRA) Démo’98
Encore une intro au synthé assez longue et cliché, ça sonne vachement gai au point ou ça conviendrait mieux à de la chanson française! Peut être que certains vont penser que je suis méchant mais c’est juste la pure vérité: ça sonne trop gentil, sympa, amical et toute la clique pour être du black métal! La musique commence enfin, imaginez CRADLE OF FILTH (qui est lon d’être excellent...) avec un son médiocre, plein de synthé et des vocaux qui me font bien rire! C’est sur que leur musique n’a pas eu sur moi l’effet voulu! Hilarant! Apprenez à écrire des compos réellement obscures, agressives, et ensuite vous pourrez jouer aux black métalleux! sur ce ...

CYANOSIS (USA) Bludgeoned Demo'98.
I think the band has split up now, but old reviews are cool to remind some nice old stuffs!
I got this quite old demo in a trade, and it fits Ok in my collection.
The band offered a quite heavy Brutal Death/ Grind with American influences includinf SUFFO (old) / DEICIDE. They remind me also of FLESHGRIND'98, UNCREATION (Spaain) and maybe the band FLESHFEAST (r.i.p) for some typically heavy or mid placed Brutal death riffs with, for some of its riffs, a little groovy touch you could find around these years when the Brutal death style was more underground! They remind me of old OBITUARY and BROKEN HOPE ("Swamped in gore") for a few heavier Death riffs. A pretty decent demo that fits nicely to its time

DAZED (Fra) Only the strong survives Demo CDr'99.
Hell! There is nothing cool to review nowadays, so a little journey in my own collection is welcome!
DAZED was the previous band of SCARVENGER's actual guitarist! The style of both bands is quite different and there were musical tensions in the band, to a point the guy doesn't want to speak about it anymore! Haha
What you have here is somekind of Metalcore meets Death metal. The metalcore parts sound quite weak and too common, hu! Boring I would say! But thankfully some tracks are more Death metal influenced! In an old death metal/ Melodic death heavy kind of beer metal influenced by DEATH!
These cool riffs sounds like DEATH in their last releases, with little jazzy drums from here and there, it's around the 'Symbolic' era and it also reminds me of the most melodic parts of SCARVENGER (same composer...). The kind of cool riffs you like to hear when you have a beer in hand! It rewarms the soul! :)
On the last track, there's also a blasting part that makes you kinda forget the boring metalcore that prevailed mostly in the first track. All in all it was an average Demo with cool Death metal riffs from here and there! Quite promising and beer enlightening I would say. Nobody probably have heard about this band, expect for some guys from the North of France, but with more work and rehearsals (and the bashing of the metalcore riffs! lol) they could have released something really cool!

DEAF AND DUMB (Cze)/ CONTRASTIC (Cze) Split Tape 96 EPIDEMIE Recs.
Ouch! Here's an old split tape that consists of a demo of each band. And this time there will be no winner!

On one side DEAD AND DUMB plays Grind death with Grindcore parts. But this is ultra common and ultra inefficient! Sounds like a weak copy of old PHOBIA meets old DAMNABLE and old BRUTAL TRUTH. No highlight. Hesitations in structures. Noise. Screams. Could sound like very old INHUMATE on vocals. Weak riffs (wanna dance polka with me?) Boring riffs. Even if it's quite fast, even if there are worse bands, it remains weak and very average!

On the other side, CONTRASTIC sounds less weak. Somekind of Grind death à la old NYCTOPHOBIC, old PHOBIA, old HAEMORRHAGE and even old DEPRAVED (Fra) with some melodic Death parts. Sounds more like real tracks compared to Deaf and Dumb.
The riffs remain quite common, nothing catchy. No real energy nor grinding explosion on inhuman pressure. This isn't an absolute bullshit, but it remains average/ very average.

DEIVOS (Pol) Praised by generations Demo tape’99. BROKEN MIND/ BUFFALO REVENGE.
Here's a nice sounding little demo of quite technical Brutal death influenced by the once master of evil brutality: DEICIDE and old MORBID ANGEL. The songs are composed of many riffs that goes from the technical to the complexly usual stuff, the whole being compacted in a cool sounding way. I can feel a nice mood from here and there, and some riffs could sound catchy in the hears of some. One could also think about some mid old SINISTER and EXHUMATOR during these 5 tracks.
There's nothing original in here, and nothing opens wide the gates of hell, but the technicality can maintain your cerebral attention. The main problem comes from the drum machine, even if it sounds ok. The vocals aren't the best as well, it lacks of deepness, dominating positions and viciousness.
This can be a nice demo for the brutal death maniacs who enjoy the bands quoted before; it's quite professional, even if the deepness of death lacks in my hears. It can be a nice collection item for the price of 4-5 small green bottles of evil liquid.
http://www.deivos.metal.pl

DEVILRY (FIN) Unleashed to haunt Demo'99.
I expected something in a total obscure and impious Black metal vein from them, so I was very surprised when I discovered their music! Total death metal in the old DEICIDE vein (1st album) with the same kind of satanic and quite technical riffs.
They could also remind EXHUMATOR"s Demo'94 and AMON (Pre- DEICIDE band) while some more thrashing Death touches sound à la old SLAYER (maybe a bit of good old POSSESSED in some riffs). A few melodies would be in a more old BOLT THROWER vein.
Their tracks are rather well constructed with enough surprises. There are a few "mistakes" on drums but nothing disturbing.
It can be a cool demo for old school Brutal Death metal fans who still enjoy old DEICIDE (long times before Mr Benton started to write boring and sterile Death metal tunes). Not bad but it lacks the fucking final thrill and creativity DEICIDE once had! It can be a promising band!
http://listen.to/devilry

EGOFIX (Jap) Eternal karma Demo tape'96.
This tape reminds me how much it would be nice to molest and beat the ass of these greedy French postmen who always have more expensive prices and will never stop their fight to make our bank accounts deeply drown under the fucking zero!! It would be fucking nice to explode their heads and impale their greedy smiles with metallic spikes! Hell yeah!!! The greedy blood will flow!
EGOFIX played raw and aggressive grindcore with crust moments, it sounded almost noisy by moments, thanx to the roooaaarrring distorted bass sound! Ahr! Most of the music was quite 'old school' grindcore, à la old NAPALM DEATH, early SQUASH BOWELS... not really over the top, but blasting and nice enough for fans of blasting extreme music... but there were also some well built moments that boost the energy and sound more 'mentally catchy', if you see where I'm pissing. These well built moments were surely quite 'modern' for the time.
This demo was probably recorded with a 4-tracker, so you have a nice underground sound. The layout looks like nice old demos, with hand made drawings... There are even some song titles written (better said drawn?) in japanse :-)
There was apparently no guys from other bands in EGOFIX, no subprojects were linked as far as I know.
All in all, if you replace this tape in the context, it was an objectively quite average demo, but it has enough blasting stress, raw vocals, raw noise fuck to play it again, again and bury your cheezy brain into extreme storms of collapsing buildings! Yeeeees!! 100% GROINGRINDING BLASTOMANIA.

ENCABULOS (Australia) Encabulos Demo tape 1997.
This tape being the very first ENCABULOS release wasn't easy to get! It seems the band didn't promote it a lot at the time... Some peoples even think their second demo "Dark divinity" was the first official recording…
But finally, the death could escape from the pores of the prostrate deviant banished from reality.
The style on this tape isn't very different from the music of the second one: I can find obscure underground death metal with old styled influences and some cool riffs. The band already had a tendency to embrace moments of heaviness... But a quite soarprizing fact is the use of fast parts: During the first half of the tape, there aren't much blasts, but rather fast death metal beats that gives a taste of PESTILENCE/ SLAYER. Yup! It's their most death thrashing release.
I also happen to think about old DEICIDE, some IMMOLATION, a bit of old GRAVE, some old CANNIBAL CORPSE ("Butchered at birth" for the guitar sound and some riffs), some BAPHOMET (Heaviness), a bit of old DEMONIC CHRIST...
It can be felt this demo was the first one; the style of the band wasn't that developed and approximations could be felt on various parts of the decrepiting cadaver... But for a first demo, in the obscure context of the epoch, it wasn't bad.
Later on, the second demo "Dark divinity" shew a more developed and more tasty obscure death approach, and the "Abandoning the flesh" MCD was their most obscure and emotionally intense recording! (A real cool item for fans of obscurity à la old INCANTATION/ old DEICIDE).

FATE (Fra) Va te faire enculer! Demo'98.
Here's the second demo of the band I discover 4 years after its release!
It was Brutal Death but less typically DYING FETUS sounding (to the contrary of their "No sense" CD) and it was really better than 90% of the french Death metal bands of this time!
It makes me think about SUFFOCATION with some MORBID ANGEL at the time of "Domination" for suite melodic leads and heavy riffs. There's some FLESHGRIND for groovier moments and some SINISTER for a bit more technical riffs. Some touches of CANNIBAL CORPSE are of course here! It still sounds cool for a '98 release and I can say if I discovered the band at the time of this demo, it would have turned into an interview in my second paper issue or something like that!
http://www.lecommando.com

FAUNE (Fra) Demo'99.
I had the feeling of facing some raw Black in the vein of old IMMORTAL (Technical riffs) and early BESTIAL WARLUST. Sounded ok and quite chaotic. But FAUNE fastly turns into very average garbage wasting the metal and the horny beer! This crap give me the feeling of having my head trapped in front of a big fat ass that don't stop farting and shitting purulent feces! It fucking damn sucks!!
This isn't tight at all. The drum machine(?)'s patterns are composed of nonsense blasting garbage that even do not vomit an hearable rhythm... And the several "musicians" seem to play as fast as possible in different rooms. Chaotic noisy crap! At least some riffs sound ok, and the rather old influences seem cool, but it's too much ever heard and utterly untight to be listenable. Adolescent garbage crap! Under the fucking average!
Since then FAUNE has recorded a demo 2002 that sound tighter and played in a better way, but it lost all he chaotic war Black/ Death! More 'Melodic', more common, even though some riffs à la old IMMORTAL sound Ok. What about really killer riffs and a frozen feeling emerging from the hidden side of the iceberg-blizzard? That would help for sure!
FAUNE remains under the average if you ask me!
c/o Faune, 560 Chemin des mattons, 38220 VIZILLE. FRANCE.

GRINDED ARTERY (FRA) Kermit waits for betial orgia Demo’96.
The tape starts wih an obscure intro with guitar arpeggios in the vein of SLAYER’s « Spill the blood » and they play Brutal death grind with some riffs sounding like BLOOD (one of them sounds like SUFFOCATION), sometimes they reminds me INHUMATE but they more obscure I think. I feel a way to play somekind of Grind, but it rather sound like Death grind. They’ve got some putrid growling vocals. Not one of the best bands but it remains quite Ok to listen to. Note: The sound is clear but lacks a bit of power.

HATE ETERNAL (Usa) Demo'97.
A fucking demo I downloaded recently. A fucking demo!
This 4 pieces tracker includes some of the best tracks on "Conquering the throne"! Fast fucking brutal death metal with aggressive death riffs, morbid as hell catchy melodies and a strong anger!
The infernal riffing has both technical touches and two guitars melodies melted in strong MORBID ANGEL influences! That fucking smells the sulfuric fumes of Trey Azagtoth's guitar killing! Malicious onslaught from hell! Insane and vicious strategic plans. My burning revenge shall prevail!
Top notch guitar playing. Skillful and tight as fuck drum patterns. Only the Malevolent creation like vocals could have been improved.
This emperor dethroning demo announced the very good "Conquering the throne" CD that followed in hell!
http://www.hateeternal.com

IGNIS FATUUS (Fra) The last church Demo'96.
This band is quite representative of the French scene of this time! Very average music to say the very best! They played a style between Thrash metal, melodic death and melodic metal... As a lot of very average bands of the time they got very good reviews in a lot of zines! Well, I read some acclaiming reviews, bought their demo... and wasn't especially pleased, rather bored! And nobody wanted to buy it back to me until now... Ah!
This was thrash with some riffs, quite tight, but nothing attracted my attention! Could remind of old KREATOR but it was too common in the riffing... Hopefully the French scene has got some really more expressive and efficient bands now in 2003!

IMMURED (GER) Languid obstinancy Demo’97
Waouh! The first riff kills! I can’t forget it, it stays in my fucking head all the day! Great beginning! I think the rest is a under, not as good but not bad! To be honnest the first riff sounds catchy and the remaining sounds more average... They play a kind of mid placed death/ grind with old CARCASS and BLOOD similarities and they’ve improved their sound a lot! This is a real tape album for the price of a demo...The first track is really cool, and the remaining is more average, but still ok! (It includes their songs from the split Eps with MALIGNANT TUMOUR and KADATH plus a CARCASS cover).

IMPALEMENT (Peru) Demo'99.
This is a tape Kalévi from BLOODY SIGN got during their trip to South America, and he gave me this copy just after a severe facial ejaculation (Ah Ah!) that might have been too corrosive (Héhé).
But there's not that much to say about it. Some peoples might find some interest because a GOAT SEMEN musician used to play in IMPALEMENT, but on a musical point of view it's quite poor: Between the average and very average slow old death metal, with fast brutal death parts and few black metal touches.
It's the kind of local band you might like to support, with an hope for improvement, but if you strictly take it on a musical point of view it lacks of guts, energy and revenge. I hope their 2nd demo released in 2004 is better... This one was a very average deep underground release...

INHUME (Hol) Demo'97.
Fucking Brutal Grind Crust! Yeah!
Blasting moments reminding me of TERRORIZER, but the riffs are more raw à la very old NAPALM DEATH or REGURGITATE!
It was fucking intense and well done with no ass filling bullshits! Neither space filling musicians! Heavy sound! Raw vocals with some real gory touches! Some parts are very compressed and sound BRUTAL! My bowels mosh and splash in Rejoice! Ah Ah...
Some of these tracks appeared on the split Ep with BLOOD (same recording session).
They made in here some fucking promises they didn't betray on their first good CD! Worth the Brutal listening!
http://www.inhume.nl

KABBAL (Fra) The wretched Demo’99.
Molesting the burning flesh in the deepest fields of the underground the damned year 1999, KABBAL were ever playing extreme Death metal!
The slaughter begins with blasting Brutal death à la CANNIBAL CORPSE "Butchered at birth"! With some kind of the same deaf yet crushing guitar production. The band was much into SUFFOCATION/ DEEDS OF FLESH/ CANNIBAL CORPSE with technical death metal touches à la DEATH! Plus few old death metal moods.
Quite complex tracks with a bunch of riffs and variations! Tight as fuck drummer plus correctly and logically composed tracks. Nothing to disturb you here!
Hell! When I keep in mind the average level of France's metal underground of 1999, and when I hear this Demo, I can only say KABBAL were promising for their professionalism and over the top brutality! Don't misunderstand my words: it's not THE killing butchery, but it was worth a Brutal support and a bunch of attentive listenings!
http://www.diamond-prod.com

KERAMAT (Ind) Approximate death Demo’97 CONFUSE Prod.
It seems like the quality of the Indonesian Underground wasn't better than the French scene of this time: very average.
This time we get Death/ Grind that is quite fast, but it's the kind of very average and common riffs I've ever heard so many times before.
Totally unattractive, even a titless and assless bitch could be more enthusiasming (on a purely libidinal point of view! lol)
Very cliché tremolo riffs, the vocals are quite raw but so many bands played this kind of soulless and quite beginners like riffs I don't see the point of spreading it everywhere and printing it with a pro cover! Some parts are absolutely boring! I don't see any other motive than chauvinism and egoistic ass licking in the means of the label to release it. Don't bye, or die!

MALEVOLENT (Usa) Whore Hackin Demo'99.
After a crappy asslicking pop intro begins a Demo of very average Brutal death! This has the common clichés of the style, and it lacks of energy! And creativity! Ok they try to groove, to have some blasts and stuffs... but the heavier parts are common! And the whole sounds common! YOU ARE ZOMBIFIED! The fast "blasts" don't beat as it should! It reminds me of old CANNIBAL CORPSE and other American Brutal death bands, some riffs sound ok but Satan didn't give them the real brutal power! YOU ARE ZOMBIFIED! It's unfortunately the kind of boring riffs I have ever heard many times before... Flat! It reminds me of boring bands like GORGE or some old LIVIDITY stuffs that sounded weak... YOU ARE ZOMBIFIED! Well if you are so Zombified you really doesn't need much! Ah! I'm bored with this Demo and I leave you in your own state of Zombification! The hypnotist is gone, and you now drown in your shit...

MASTIC SCUM (Austria) Live tape 1996. OBLITERATION Recs.
Born, suffer, Die.
The perfect suffering to fit the unrealistic and unreachable wills of perfection of your greedy boss! Erase your mind! Depressive pet of the golden dollar! Drown!
While the MASTIC SCUM albums turns out to be more and more convenient and 'metalcorish', it's cool to listen to their older releases that were more energetic. Full of guiding distress!
On this tape, you got live songs recorded in January, March, July 95, and the "Tilt" Ep'95 as blasting bonus.
On this raw live tape, the Grindcore wasn't blasting as fuck, since it wasn't pure Grind, you broke few teeth on blast beats, chugastic old Death metal beats and groovy mid-placed Hardcorish stuffs.
Think early NAPALM DEATH, old S.O.B. and few TERRORIZER in some drums.
The guitars are too thin, and sometimes sound strange, and more blasts would have been nice to make the adrenaline urge grow (Didn't they "experiment" some core-core stuffs? Not the most raw to the point style in my zigzaging hears) but I have lost few teeth and that's cool enough for me!
Nice for a small headbanging price, of corpse.
http://www.masticscum.com

MENTAL DEGENERATION UNIT (FRA) Trous du cul CDr'99.
It's the new band of an ex PURE HATE member, a band that was very mediocre... and here it doesn't sound very better! You get 26 tracks of pseudo Grind noise that sounds forced and totally stolen on ANAL CUNT! Only one riff sounds more or less inspired. This kind of "projects" have became sadly more and more numerous in the underground... it can only make their close friends laugh...
http://mdu.chez.tiscali.fr

MORBIFIK (Ind) Now I’m bleed Demo’97 ALUZZA Prod.
Another Indonesian demo... Argh! Help me, I'm afraid of these Indonesian bands, coz most of them cruelly sucks! I got this demo in a trade, I remember I heard several times their name when I began NIHILISTIC in 1997...
Well, this may doesn't suck as much as the other Indo bands I know, but I'm not interested no convinced at all... Sounds like a cheaper copy of old DAMNABLE meets DISGORGE (mex) and other bands I don't give a horse shit about: it's fast, fast, fast, but the riffs are weak! Quite complex but quite weak riffs and breaks that means nothing and aren't inspired! Nothing more to say, they may have improved if they kept on playing music, but (hopefully) it wasn't a total horse shit. I don't know if the band is still alive, but I wouldn't go on and search for the infos!
http://listen.to/MORBIFIK

N.P.C (Austria) Precare Demo CD'97.
To be honnest, this Thrash/ Death/ Hardrock band is very very very boring! This is flat, repetitive, with some riffs that can not be more simple and basic. No!! This time it's really shitty to listen to this!
The sound is correct and they're tight, but with the so simple and basic as fuck style they're doing, it would be more than annoying if they weren't able to do it tight! Boring as fuck!                                                                       Mat

NEUROPATH (Australia) Desert of excruciation Demo'96.
I remember an old friend of mine who ran a radioshow called THE WORLD IS FUCKED dubbed this tape for me!
The style of the band was totally inot the SUFFOCATION's "Efficgy of the forgotten" style with both heavy and technical riffs, nothing personal but it was pleasant as the style was not too much used and played!
They owned also some little more "original" (if I could say so) touches ranging around the first ATROCITY (Ger) LP and small occurences of some old GORGUTS meets RESURRECTION for melodies.
Some CANNIBAL CORPSE's "Butchered at birth" is present of course.
The funny thing is some bands trying to play Brutal death nowadays sound less convincing than what NEUROPATH did some years ago!
I found no real musical interest listening back to it now, but it's cool as it reminds me a time when the underground Brutal Death was new to me, I discovered a lot of bands through tape trading and into obscure as fuck zines, and spent a lot of time into DISGUST and GERBE OF LIFE's rehearsal places drinking beers, smoking hash and speaking about metal! It just reminds me a very passionating epoch!

NOSTRADAMUS (Pol) Sic itur ad astra Demo'99.
With this kind of wanna sound mysterious band's name, I expected Black metal but it isn't. They put some keyboards everywhere, and even where it would have been impossible to do so!
Sounds like old NOCTURNUS with 70's music band who used keyboards (in a quite futuristic and space way) or also the music of the French film "La soupe aux choux" for the terribly frightening music and horrible as the big sized mother of the novegian Skullfucker Nathaniel production! lol. It's somekind of techno Death thrash with lots of riffs, complex stuffs... but as a lot of techo Death stuffs it goes everywhere and doesn't sound efficient for a pence!
Their demo cover looks like a full of fishes aquarium or dried out flowers! Fucking extreme! Wanna look original, but looks like a fucking loss! Comm'on! Wanna help them finding a new band's name! What about AQUARIUM (to fit with their cover?) or even "Jean Paul II"??... Some brutal death bands used some so flat names such as Myosotis (a little blue flower), Infusion (Do you want a cup of tea?), Camembert (these bastards even don't know what their band's name means!) or Necroblaspheme (what a fucking cliché!) we've crossed all the paths of all possible shit names!
If they want to spread obscurity and occult knowledges, they shouldn't use the Nostradamus name as his books were simply futuristic mental masturbation... A demo that I knew I'd forget even before listening to it. Weird isn't it?

OPEN WOUND (Australia) Rehearsal Demo'98.
This isn’t your shitting noise band!
Shit noise bands are totally gay and should be impaled on the spiked altar of metal since it’s the worst form of music pollution ! The Underground is fucking plagued by all these stupid senseless craps who record anything and everything! Yes, noise is a trend in my point of view ! This is the worst trend since it has and will always be done without any feeling, since it’s only the product of « wanna be cool » brains who want to full-fill their existential void with crappy convenience, self ass licking and pure self illusionism!
This old OPENWOUND recording is a rehearsal one, the sound is a bit overdriven, but it’s ok! The style of the band was energetic enough to keep me awake and interested ! Fast crushing blasts ! The energy of old skool Grind is here ! That screams and ravages your speakers ! The tracks are well packaged enough to make of it a cool and raw underground recording ! Ah Ah ! Some parts are fucking raw and noisy, but it sounds good ! Many bands totally misconceive what good Grindnoise is ! Grindnoise can be fucking aggressive and compressed if it has real blasts and a will to aggress the listener (check THE KILL you gay noise looser !). Let’s come back to OPEN WOUND, they had also some Death metal riffs, and parts that could sound like Emocore ! The band could have sounded like old NAPALM DEATH, old BIRDFLESH, and so on ! This was a raw underground Demo I’d advice you to check out on a tape-trading list since it’s not available anymore ! R.I.P OPEN WOUND.
http://www.geocities.com/blastasfuk

PORNOCRATE (Fra) ... In a porn (demo)ocracy! Demo CD'99.
Bullshit sounding cafarnaum mixing some Death riffs that are funny or stolen into Mortician's CDs and everythings that comes across their ears! Their music is still so flat and sterile...

PUTRID FLESH (Ita) Intox by human Demo tape'99.
 What the fuck happens in there?
The band name sounds like something gore, the cover displays the head of a suffering victim that was decapitated... After a quite ambient introduction, the music begins like some kind of brutal death, to evolve fast into some kind of black metal à la early CRADLE OF FILTH... and then appears a very present flute! What the fuck?
This band mixed a bit everything, to apparently sound original and in(nowayin)novative as much as possible... But it does not often sound good! Original, yes, but good, NO!
Some of the influences sound bad (For example, as if a random flute song was cut and past over some kind of fast death black metal song...), some influences sounds misplaced (Who said mixing early Cradle of Shit with some groovy fusion stuffs would sound good? What about the pleasure to hear some djumbees ( à la SOULFLY) under some black metal riffs?)... Finally the band mixed a bit anything and everything, without much success! Music isn't a fucking dustbin!
Even if some fast death or black metal parts do not sound bad, some kind of "techno-deathish" riffs sound ok, and other stuffs from here and there aren't bad... There's finally nothing catchy, no killer riff, no brain-shocking arrangements...
Many of these in(nowayin)novative bands often shew their so strong need for homoriginality and homodernity hid nothing less than a serious lack of inspiration! Yes, one more of these so oooriginal sounding bands that seems fresh at the first listening, but you realize there's nothing special at all once you dissect a bit what happens in your Hi-Fi... This demo might be of interest for those who do not yet have the pleasure to see their furnitures fall apart, thanx to the weight of tapes! But to be serious, apart from the masochist tape-collecting furniture-crushers (who hardly listen to everything they own), I don't see much peoples to dig PUTRID FLESH.

RESURRECTURIS (Ita) Evil confronting evil Demo'96.
I was into reading S.O.D Mag as they had some long and interesting interviews with old school Death metal bands such as ENTOMBED, UNLEASHED, etc... But their weakest point was their cliché reviews: every album that was quite technical correctly constructed and had a good production got a good review! Fuck this shit! As a lot of too big magazines most of the stuffs in this mag is so superficial! (A zine couldn't sell hundred and hundred copies while keeping honest opinions! Sad but true!) But at this time, I wasn't so aware and I was quite naive... So I bought the demo of RESURRECTURIS after reading a very good review in S.O.D! Since this time I think the magazine fits well to their name: Sod!
The music of Resurrecturis was a mix of Death/ Grind and Death Metal with more melodic parts and Indus touches. It could remind of old DEATH, MORTEM (Peru), old GODFLESH (on vocals and heavy riffs), old COMECON (a little bit), old PROTECTOR (a bit). Not that bad, especially the COMECON influences that would have deserved some more work, but nothing is catchy here! Nothing that deserved so many fucking skulls! Note: 4/10 Skulls!   

SEKARAT (Ind) Tragic incident Demo’96.
I'm often "surprised" by the low quality of the bands' music that comes from these Asian countries, most of what I discover is boring at the very best. What we have here is Death metal with very common riffs, unsurprising arrangements, the very common and very average kind of stuffs from which nothing stands out. There are a few blasts, some raw vocals. The fact it owns a pro cover is contradictory with the quality of the music. Very average stuff that sounds like beginners and includes no emotions at all.

SEVERE TORTURE (HOL) Baptized in virginal liquid Demo'98.
Here's some dutch Brutal death grind, I don't know if it's their first demo but for a beginning it's quite promising. There are all the usual stuffs you can expect from a Brutal death band (quite complex songs with lots of riffs, blasts, growls...), and it's Ok constructed. There are some riffs I really like. The best moments are influenced by CANNIBAL CORPSE and DEICIDE ("Legion").
I will try to get their future stuffs as with some musical improvement, some real inspiration and a big professional sound it can be a strong sounding underground release!

SICKNESS (Malaysia) Ulcerous intestine Demo’96.
Fucking bound in an apartment. The weather is shitty. Only a few tapes and a walkman. Nothing better to do than reviewing this very boring demo! Low as fuck quality Grind rock death with a rehearsal sound. The blasts suck. The riffs are beginners like. It's weakness in its purest form! I wouldn't have released it on a demo, even when I was playing in very shitty bands such as this one! Boring! Boring. Boring. Only the logo doesn't suck! Very very average. What happens in these Indian countries? I can't find anything positive... Boring!

SOILS OF FATE (SWE) Pain... has a face Demo'97
As a lot of American influenced Brutal death bands, this one hailing from Sweden has got some strong similarities with CANNIBAL CORPSE's "Tomb of the mutilated" CD. The whole is correctly played and produced (even if a heavier sound would have been better to my ears) but I found only the vocals were full of expression and rage! Their riffs are done and thoughts according to the whole schemes of the "Tomb of the mutilaed" album, without bringing something new, or brutally personnal! So this is an Ok demo and I'm waiting to check out their next release than may be an interesting one.

SOULLESS (Bra) Valley of suicides Demo tape'96. GODLESS Recs.
The name they choose shows quite clearly that originality and modernity aren't of real importance in this case, maybe because "Soulless" is already in use or because you need to be fucked in the ass, deeply, with brutal passion.
Roughly, their music sounds (But doesn't necessarily tastes) like some old GRAVE, with an heavy portion of BAPHOMET in the slower and mid-placed patterns (I have found again several gimmicks the American band used on their "The dead shall inherit" album). It might sound outdated and pointless for many (well paid scientists?), but those who liked BAPHOMET at the time might kinda like this short (2 tracks) demo of heavy downtuned, simple and Americanized Death metal.
(Well, surfing on the web, I just noticed this demo is actually 12 years old... So this explains the style, the gimmicks, the old heaviness... Apparently this band released an album the year 2000, maybe it's nicely baphometish?)

SPITE EXTREME WING (Ita) Spite extreme wing Demo'99.
This time I won't scream "PHALLELUJAH!!", but neither will I have the opportunity to say "IT FUCKING SUCKS!!". No, SPITE EXTREME WINGS plays some decent kind of semi-melodic Black metal that could remind of the old Norwegian and Swedish styles: some MAYHEM, few old MARDUK, some WAR and co, but with a quite more melodic approach that could remind of some DISSECTION or SACRAMENTUM. The melodies of S.E.W. aren't as developed and complex as the two bands quoted the sentence before. On another hand, S.E.W. could be compared to a more brutal kind of fast Black metal than what NOMICON did, since it's in the kind of same headquarters. Eventhough I did a lot of melodic comparisons, don't think too fast and imagine this band is abusively melodic, nope it's rather fast, with some slow downs, and it keeps a minimum of energy to keep the midly awaken bastard awake. A dark atmosphere is here, which isn't unpleasant. All in all, it's a decent demo. the band offers nothing new and still seems very much into and too near of it's influences, so nothing new or much personal on an emotional ideas' point of view. But it's correctly done and a cool atmosphere is emerging from this nicely produced tape. I don't feel like S.E.W. has the rotting, depressive and strictly out from society valours and feelings many underground Black metal bands praise. It's an okey tape in my opinion, it might please those who like semi-melodic black metal that has tendencies to be fast and don't display much aggression or real rawness.
c/o Daniele Orzati, Via Borzoli 15c/28, 16153 GRENOVA, ITALY.

SUHRIM (Bel) Life sucks and then you die Demo’99.
Here's an older recording of these Belgian Brutal death headz. I know only their last CD'02 "Unidentified flying body parts" and the points that quote my attention are they used a drum-machine making them sound more inhuman (on blasts) and some tracks on this demo were later recorded on the CD. But I prefer the ones on the CD since some heavier riffs sound cooler, and the whole have improved! That was Brutal death Grind mostly based on tremolos, but they had heavy Brutal Death like riffs and heavier doomy induced melodies à la old GOREFEST. Here are some influences: CANNIBAL CORPSE, old GOREFEST, some old DEATH, GRAVE ("Soulless" in heavy parts), MORTICIAN (Drum-machine mostly), etc. While some parts are quite cool, some riffs sound more hesitating or too common! Some fillers where here, hé hé...
I'm not into this demo, there were some quite cool riffs from here and there, but the coolest tracks in here were recorded in better versions on "Unidentified..." that has some nice parts. This CD'02 might not be too bad for the big voracious bastards of the old school Death metal mania!
http://suhrim.deathmetal.be

TARTOPOIL (Fra) Tartopoil Demo’99.
Another demo I inherited from a now buried distro... I must be fucking cursed!
This Grindcore noise is far from being my pleasure! Far from this! The riffs go everywhere... as much as I wonder if there are riffs! Noise, noise, Grindcore, noise. It sucks! Even my arse could produce more sweety and subtle noises! Ah! Only the gore vocals don’t suck. The music can't be heard, or it's as weak as a "cubic anus" (as they say...).
The underground isn’t about releasing shitty noisegrind nonsenses as they have surely forgotten!
Fuck this pure shit! Not worth an Euro, not even worth a listen!

THANATOS (Por) Melégnia Demo'99.
The first thing I can say is it's not very good, and even very boring! This band plays a mix of Gothic stuffs, hard rock heavy... The singer has got a quite strange vocal between Thrash and Death metal, he starts to scream when there's no more music, or when the music is very soft and flat (In anyway it's very often flat!). Sometimes he uses some vocals à la TYPE OF NEGATIVE that makes me laugh!
Everythings aren't shitty in here, for exemple the sound isn't bad, the musicians aren't bad on a technical point of view (even if they doesn't use this side that much). It's tight most of the time, but when the drummer uses the double bass drums it creates some slow downs... but he isn't a bad drummer... A boring band. thanatosband@hotmail.com

Mat     

THUNDERBOLT (Pol) Black clouds over dark majesty Demo tape 97. OLD LEGEND.
What I hear during this quite old demo could have been worst! Black metal being rather influenced by the Norwegian style with touches of old MARDUK, and some melodic/ atmospheric passage that do nothing for me. One of the biggest influences could be IMMORTAL's "Pure holocaust" in the fastest and most extreme parts, while some old SACRAMENTUM of the less melodic kind could be detected. Some riffs are typical of the 96-98 Black metal kind (Some DEMONIAC, early MARDUK). At least THUNDERBOLT do not use any happy sounding riffs (their melodic parts sound rather ok, even if too numerous...) and they have a decent band name!
I heard some tracks from their last full-length releases in 2004: the band now focuses on the fastest and most extreme parts, that's a good thing! Stronger than before, and I felt some dark vibes in this album...
Anyway this demo remains average and everheard. Even though there are cool frozen moments of blasting grimness, the whole is too plagued by melancholic and melodic moments to pleases the fans of extreme black metal who like it as cold as a sharp knife under their throat! Average, but yet with some darkness.
c/o Blazej Adamczuk, Po box 164, 67200 GLOGOW. POLAND

UNDERTAKER (POL) Demo'96
This band plays Metal in the vein of new NAPALM DEATH (« Fear emptiness despair », «  Inside the torn apart » with the same vocals than BARNEY. They totally remind me of the english band for the riffs, the songs’ structures, the use of high pitched fresh sounding harmonies, the vocals ( low grunts andd high pitched dementia accesse + effectized ununderstanding spoken voices) and the mechanical drum playing. I like the first track that has some good ideas, but then it becomes too much in the lines NAPALM DEATH has visited and revisited before, and this with not much ideas to be entertaining.
Notice there are only 8 grind parts in the demo so their music is mostly based on mid placed metal riffs à la HELMET and co + a few Heavy and tremolo Death Metal riffs. It could be cool for big fans of NAPALM DEATH, but even if I like the 1st track the whole remains quite average..

VASTION (Usa) Stares of the dead Demo'99.
This is what I call flat ass Death metal! Not that it is technically impotent since the band is fast and tight, but where is the fucking Brutal feeling and the inner inspiration that are meant to motivate the recording of some tracks? This is fast Death grind that could remind of old MALEVOLENT CREATION, and there is a bunch of more melodic stuffs à la Black/ Death/ Doom. A few more names: PROFANITY, FALLEN CHRIST, and some American Brutal death bands of the '98 epoch.
It doesn't suck, but it's only Ok! And there are a lot of Ok demos! Put more of yourself if you want to be remembered!
http://www.geocities.com/vastiondth

VORACE (Fra) Vorace Tape Lp'98. ROTTEN BONES Recs.
The cadaver rejoices in putrefaction, all isn't so rotten and some sadistic pleasure could finally be found, in death and mournful agony!
VORACE was a very cool one man band practicing an old school Death/ Thrash metal with distinctive thrashing death metal melodies that would awake the fans of 90's European Death metal! The guitar parts were quite nicely worked and would regularly remind of PESTILENCE's first two Lps, while some ASPHYX touches as well as elements of thrash could be found (old METALLICA)! Wait a minute, there seems to be some Powercore or metalcore influences in the heavy moments, would sound kinda like OVERKILL...
When you listen to this re-released tape Lp, it's obvious the guy was a big PESTILENCE fan and he had almost reached the point of worship! The 7 tracks on this tape Lp could be seen as a tribute, even though it sounds worked and diverse enough to be taken as a real project.
The production even have a guitar edge being quite near of "Consuming impulse" and some ASPHYX... quite overdosed on overdrive and destructive, if you see what I mean!
Now it's time to evoke the negative aspects of this release. First of all the vocals lack of destruction and throat scorching screams to awake the brutal dead from its nauseabond cynical mourning! It's rather hardcorish vocals that lack of power.
Then the compositions surely lack of power and destructive brutality for the fans of old PESTILENCE! It's cool and enjoyable compositions in this kind of good old death thrashing metal, but explosions of hatred were excluded from the carnal gluttony. It lacks of punch and fast parts in my hears! It sounded clean... maybe too much! I need the pulp of purulence! Then a drum-machine is used, but it's not necessarily a problem.
This first release of Rotten Bones Recs, who later became Infernal Waves Recs, was a cool tape of old school Death/ Thrash. Even though the music was average, would rather take place in a cool demo tape and would certainly sound useless and flat for newer metalheads, it has its chances to awake nostalgic and old school feelings in the hearts of the death metal fans who are in the real metal since at least 10 years! It might be cool for those who aren't too deeply bathing in the chaotic side of death and rock'n roll edge of metal.

WOLFSHADE (GER) Eats the worls alive Demo’99.
I don’t know if it’s their first demo or what.
What we have here is a strongly influenced old CANNIBAL CORPSE formation with touches of old CARCASS for vocals and some slow old death metal parts. By moments it made me think about the old BOLT THROWER (3 first albums).
The riffs really sounds ever heard before and they need to improve their habilities coz some parts are bit blurr! The cover is simply ugly!
The drummer takes exactly the same pose than Fredrik Anderson on MARDUK’s « Heaven shall burn » album booklet, it was funny to see to which point the influence of a big band can go. This is the average/ very average stuff. They need to rehearse more and more to be more tight, possibly efficient and eventually personal.